Brassiere



Feb. 2, 1960 F. r. DI TULLIO 2,923,301

BRASSIERE Filed July 1, 1957 INVMOR Flavia 7. DI' T u//lo ATTORNEY pas BRASSIERE Flavia T. Di Tullio, Dover, Del., assignor to International Latex Corporation, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application July 1, 1957, Serial No. 669,094

4 Claims. (Cl. 12S-484) This invention relates to brassieres or bras of the type intended to support and mold the breasts of the human female and is particularly concerned with simplifying the construction thereof while improving supporting and molding functions.

In accordance with the present invention, the construction of the brassiere is simplified and the supporting and molding functions are improved by providing each of the two breast receiving cups of the brassiere with two external breast supporting and lifting panels arranged so as to provide support to the under portion of the breast. of the under portion of the breast cup and may overlap each other at the base of the -cup to form a iiexible supporting pocket capable of adjusting to the variations of the breast during wearing.

When two diagonally arranged supporting panels are secured to the outer portion of the brassiere and so attached that they present diagonally running free edges which criss-cross each other at the base portion of the breast cup, a flexible criss-crossed pocket is provided which is capable of adjusting to the various movements of the breast while supplying an additional lifting support thereto. Consequently, any molding, forming or supporting of the breast that is required is easily accomplished by the breast cup acting in combination with the supporting and lifting pocket. This action of the pocketed supported breast cup accomplishes the retention of the form of the breast by providing this external lifting and forming support, thereby minimizing and eliminating distortion or loss of form which is so prevalent in garment constructions which are made to mold the breast. Also, the panel arrangement of this invention provides flexible support control during all positions and movement of the wearer. Overlapping of the supporting panels at the bases of the cups, in addition, provides an extra thickness of material directly to the lower portion of the breasts where the greatest support is required. Furthermore, by attaching the supporting panels in the form of a pocket on each cup to the outer periphery of the cup along the lower portion thereof and having free diagonal edges, the panels are free to co-act in an independent manner and adjust, readjust, twist and turn to compensate for any lack of symmetry between opposite sides of the breast or to the placing of the breast in flexed positions by movement of the wearer, thereby minimizing binding and cutting of the sides of the breast during the supporting, lifting and styling of the breast. Also, support panels in the form of a support pocket co-act with the breast cup on the outside thereof and accomplish the dignification and control of the breast without resorting to the employment of complicated, expensive and cumbersome devices heretofore relied on to accomplish the support and styling of the breast.

In addition, when both the cups and the supporting panels are constructed of square woven fabric, which is commonly used in the trade, the present invention contemplates orientng the fabric of the cups in such a man- The panels extend diagonally along each sideu 2,927.3,3` iafernted Feb. 2, l9@

ifice directions, i.e., 45 to the warp and weft threads thereof, l

, thereby minimizing undue bulging of the breasts in such directions. y

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a brassiere constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of one of thebreast receiving cups and supporting panels of the brassiere showing the orientation of the threads when a woven fabric is used for the cup and girthwise stretchable supporting panel; and

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

In the drawings, the breast receiving cups of the brassiere of the invention are generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. Each cup is formed of a lower section 11 and an upper section 12 of relatively unstretchable fabric, sewn together along a medial line 13 (see Figure 3) extending horizontally across the breast cup.

The cups lll are sewn along a portion of their lower peripheries to a suitable frame portion 14, which may be elastic in the girthwise direction and to a center wedge shaped portion 15 which, together with 14, forms a frontal band of the brassiere. Attached to the outer edge of each frame portion and the outer edge of the corresponding breast cup is a fabric back section 16, adapted to extend ti-wund the sides and back of the wearer in a girthwise manner (see Figure l). To one free end of one of the abrio back sections are attached hooks 17, and to the end of the other fabric back section is attached an elastic piece 18 which has secured at its free end a strip having two parallel rows of eyes 19 adapted to receive hooks 17 when the brassiere is positioned girthwise about the body of the wearer. A pair of shoulder straps 20, adjustable in length by buckles 21, are each secured to the top of one of the cups and to one of the back sections 16 adjacent to its free end.

In accordance with the invention, each cup 10 is pro vided with two supporting and lifting panels 22 and 23 of relatively unstretchable material. Panel 22 is secured along one edge to the lower outer periphery 22a of the breast cup and for a portion along the lower inner periphery 23a thereof where the panel becomes pointed in shape. The top edge of the panel is sewn to the medial band 13. This construction leaves a diagonal free edge which extends across the under portion of the breast cup.

In like manner panel 23 is attached to the opposite side of the breast cup with the lower point of the panel overlapping the lower point of panel 22 to form a criss-cross arrangement at the base of the breast cup which forms a support pocket (see Figure 2). The overlapping of the panels 22 and 23 provides among other things an extra thickness of fabric at the underside of the breast cup 10 at the base thereof where the greatest support of the breast is necessary. In this arrangement the panels cofunction with the breast cup so that one side of the breast cup may adjust independently of the other side to compensate for any lack of symmetry between opposite sides of the breast or any undue strain that may be put on one of the breasts by the wearer, thereby minimizing binding and cutting of the sides of the breast. Also, the ilexible panel support produces a well formed, supported breast during all motions and positions of the wearer as heretofore described.

The supporting panels 22 and 23, criss-crossed as described above, provide a lifting and supporting means in the form of a pocket which co-functions with the exterior of the breast cup to produce the molding of the breast. This structure provides a supportpocket positioned under the lower portion of the breast near the base thereof exible in function which accomplishes the up-lifting of the breast and the compensation of distortion of the breast in a gentle and easy manner during all stress and strain which the wearer places on the breast without distorting the molded form of the breast accomplished by thebrassiere.

When both the cups 10 and the panels 22 and 23 are made of square woven fabric, in accordance with one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the fabric of the cup 10 is oriented so that the Warp and weft threads extend in the directions as indicated by the arrows A-A and B-B shown in Figure 2 and the fabric of the supporting panels 22 and 23 is oriented so that the threads run in a direction of approximately 45 to the direction of the threads of the lower section of the cups, as indicated by the arrows C-C and D-D shown in Figure 2. So-called relatively unstretchable woven fabric is generally relatively unstretchable in the direction of the warp and weft threads but is somewhat stretchable in a bias direction of approximately 45 to the warp and weft threads. By orienting the threads of the fabric of panels 22 and 23 so that they extend at approximately 45 to the threads of the lower cup 10, the threads of the fabric of the panels 22 and 23 reinforce the lower portion of the cup 10 in their most stretchable direction and thereby minimize undue bulging of the breasts in such directions.

Also, the frame sections 14 when formed from fabric stretchable in the girthwise direction in combination with the criss-cross panelled under portion of the breast cup as heretofore described provide additional exibility in the functioning of the support. and lift panels during stress and strain of the wearer.

It is to be understood that the criss-cross panels of this invention can be made of many types of material capable of providing the additional support required in conjunction with the basic fabric forming the breast cup. Also, the co-functioning of the support panels in a crisscross manner with the breast cup allow the use of a thin material for covering of the breast and forming the cup since the support of the breast can be provided by the support panel.

It is to be further understood that the embodiments of the invention shown and described herein are for the purpose of illustration only, and that changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A brassiere having a pair of breast receiving cups of relatively unstretchable woven fabric, each of said cups being provided with external breast supporting and lifting panels of relatively unstretchable woven fabric which extend from each side of the cup in a diagonal direction across the under portion of the cup and crisscrossed at the base of the cup, said criss-crossed panels having unattached diagonal edgesand forming a support pocket on the under portion of the breast receiving cup and a frontal band, said band being stretchable in the girthwise direction and attached to the lower periphery of each of the breastcups.

2. A brassiere having a pair of breast receiving cups of relatively unstretchable woven fabric, each of said cups being provided with external breast supporting and lifting panels of relatively unstretchable woven fabric which extend from each side of the cup in a diagonal direction across the under portion of the cup and crisscrossed at the base of the cup, said criss-crossed panels having unattached diagonal edges and forming a support pocket on the under portion of the breast receiving cup, the woven fabric of said cups adjacent to the panels being oriented so that the threads thereof extend in horizontal and vertical directions and the woven fabric of said panels lbeing oriented so that the threads thereof extend at approximately 45 to the direction of the threads of said cups.

3. In a brassiere, a pair of breast-receiving cups, each of said cups comprising upper and lower sections of relatively unstretchable woven fabric joined along a substantially horizontal seam, and a pair of external breast-supporting-and-lifting panels of relatively unstretchable woven fabric arranged in diagonal crisscrossed relation on the exterior of each of said cups, each of said panels having an upper edge substantially normal to its longitudinal extent and secured to said upper cup section at said horizontal seam and a lower diagonal edge secured to the lower edge of said lower cup section, the crossing portions of said panels having edges that are free of one another.

4. In a brassiere, a frontal band, a pair of breastreceiving cups, each of said cups comprising upper and lower sections of relatively unstretchable woven fabric joined along a substantially horizontal seam, the lower edge of each lower cup section being secured to said frontal band along a lower horizontal seam, and a pair of external breast-supporting-and-lifting panels of relatively 'unstretchable woven fabric arranged in diagonal crisscrossed relation on the exterior of each of said cups, each of said panels having an upper edge substantially normal to its longitudinal extent and secured to said upper cup section at said horizontal seam and a lower diagonal edge secured to the lower edge of said lower cup section, along said lower horizontal seamfthe crossing portions of said panels having edges that are free of one another.

References Cited in the le of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,822,872 Alexander Sept. l5, 1931 2,560,706 Spetalnik July 17, 1951 2,623,211 Brown Dec. 30, 1952 2,734,193 Croxall Feb. 14, 1956 

